Ditching Distractions 101: 8 Ways to Stay Focused On the Job
by Sourav Ganguly Job & Career 14 October 2021
With most nine-to-five workers balancing active personal lives and office woes, it can be a significant challenge to stay focused while on the job. Luckily, plenty of tried and true methods keep you on your Ps and Qs during the workday.
1. Don’t Let Personal Issues Affect Your Work
Despite our best balancing act efforts, life and work tend to go hand in hand. It’s hard to focus at work when your personal life overtakes all your thoughts. Setting communication boundaries, attending regular therapy, and separating your personal and work life can help you clear your thoughts while you’re on the clock.
There’s no shortage of life stressors that can impact your productivity. For example, you may have sustained an injury at work or fallen victim to an automobile accident, leaving you to face a hefty stack of paperwork. In this case, you can hire a personal injury firm like wh Law to speak to insurance companies, collect evidence, and prepare the files needed for winning compensation. That way, you won’t divert your eyes away from day-to-day work responsibilities in the interest of maximizing your personal injury claim compensation.
Regardless of the personal matter at hand, if you have any personal issues affecting your work, communicate with your boss and take the necessary time off to sort things out.
2. Keep Your Space Organized
A cluttered workspace means you waste precious time searching for the correct documents. It can also create a sense of chaos that your brain reflects. A clear space will help you keep a clear mind while working.
3. Cut Out Possible Distractions
The list of possible, out-of-your-control distractions is endless, so you have to cut out what you can. If you know your phone will be distracting, try putting it on silent and away in a drawer during work time.
If you’re in a busy office space, you might have loud coworkers and lots of background movement. Try putting on headphones and setting boundaries for work hours with chatty coworkers.
4. Plan Your Projects Carefully
A massive roadblock occurs when we aren’t sure where to start on a project. Break down the steps into small, manageable chunks. Start with research and instructions, outline, and then the project’s entirety should fall into place. Whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed by the scope of a project, just take it one step at a time.
5. Short Breaks Are key
Some people can work absurdly long hours with only one or two breaks. But that is not the case for most. This style of work is just asking for burnout and lower-quality content.
Try setting timers for thirty to forty-five-minute intervals between which to take short five to ten minute breaks to stretch, eat a snack, grab a drink of water, and let your eyes rest.
6. Try Using Apps Or Programs To Help Focus
Technology is a double-edged sword: as much as it aids our productivity, it also means there are countless distractions available at the tips of your fingers. Thankfully, there are also apps that can help minimize time on your phone and help you stay aware of your time and schedule.
7. Find The Right Music Or Background Noise
You might be getting distracted by all the things going on in your home or office. Try putting on headphones or earbuds and playing music to keep yourself focused. There is an array of “focusing” music available free on YouTube, from classical piano to the sound of a thunderstorm.
8. Understand Yourself
A lot of focusing philosophy comes down to understanding how you function. What works for people won’t work for others. Pay attention to what systems work for you and how to get into a workflow. There’s no sense in forcing yourself to adapt to a productivity style that doesn’t suit you.
Conclusion
It can be hard to keep the focus in today’s busy world. With a bit of reflection and outside help, you can keep your blinders on to distractions during the workday.
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